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Windows XI
Windows XI, codenamed Polaris, known internally as Windows NT Version 11.0, is an operating system released in 2025 to mark Microsoft's 50th anniversary. It is the successor to Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019, and has received positive reviews from critics. History Windows XI is heavily inspired by this YouTube video. In 2020, Microsoft announced that they would discontinue the Xbox line of gaming consoles, sell off their game-development units, and focus more on Windows and Surface. Adoption At first, Windows XI adoption was slow, with most OEMs still installing Windows 10 on new computers, but when Apple announced that they would be discontinuing MacOS in 2026 and switching their Mac line of computers to Windows XI, adoption peaked. Design The default design of Windows XI, MetroXP, is heavily inspired by that of Windows XP. The differences between WinXP Luna and MetroXP include that the gradients have been removed and the color scheme of Luna is now fully customizable. A brand-new version of the "Bliss" wallpaper is the default, but wallpapers inspired by Windowses 7 and 10 are also available. The Windows XI startup and shutdown sounds are based on the famous Windows XP startup and shutdown; however, the other sounds are the same as Windows 10. Publicity The publicity for Windows XI was meant to evoke nostalgia associated with Windows XP and earlier. Microsoft brought all rights to the song "Start Me Up" from The Rolling Stones to use in promotion of Windows XI. New features *Starting with this version, Windows is now completely Open Source, and available as a free download from the Microsoft website. However, it is advised not to download Windows XI directly onto your computer whole, unless you have a lot of free space; instead, download it onto a CD or USB stick, and put the CD or USB into your computer. *Windows Server is now integrated into the main Windows line, after being a seperate product line since WinXP/WinServer2003. *Windows no longer requires activation, due to the existence of the free downloads. *The "telemetry" features from Windows 10 are removed. *IE and Microsoft Edge are removed and replaced with Microsoft HyperLynx, a new browser based on the open-source Pale Moon, which is in turn based on the older versions of Mozilla's Firefox. *The return of the classic Solitaire, Freecell, Spider, and Winmine games from Windows XP. *The Windows-9x-and-2000-styled "classic" option is back for themes and the start menu, being removed in Windows 8 and 7 respectively. *The start menu has been redesigned to resemble that of Windows Vista/7. *Paint 3D has been enhanced and renamed "Paint", with inspiration from Paint.net, Blender, and Gimp. *64-bit versions of Windows now support 16-bit applications. Reception Windows XI received positive critical reception. The Free Software Foundation praised Microsoft's move to release Windows under the GNU GPL, but criticized its use of the term "open source" instead of "free software" in promotional materials. Trivia *Windows XI is the last version of Windows NT and the "classic Windows" (comprising Windows 3.1x, 9x, and NT), because in 2031, Microsoft followed Apple's lead and replaced Windows with an Unix-based OS, Windows Z (now simply called "Windows"). The early versions of Windows Z (such as 12.0 and 12.1) have the same design as Windows XI, but starting with Windows 12.5, it was replaced with a new design.